What you're about to read is a collection of pointers to some of the music I've discovered on the iTunes Music Store, music I like enough that I want to share it. If you're an iPod owner and an iTunes fan (and if you aren't, what are you doing here?), maybe you'll find something new. Click on any of the CD covers to bounce over to the store and sample a few tracks. And then maybe stop by my other blog for a few well chosen words (and maybe a random snark or two).

Wed, 12 Jan 2005

Why is it that some of the most inventive and entertaining literature
is written for children? Not just Harry Potter, as good as it is.
There are plenty of other children's books that an adult would enjoy
as much as, if not more than, a child. We can enjoy the story, as
well as the way the author plays with the structure, the language, the
imagery of their storytelling. The best kid's literature plays with
the form. It takes risks.

And what riskier endeavor has there been than
A
Series of Unfortunate Events, a collection that warns the
reader right from
the beginning (The
Bad Beginning1, to be precise) to be prepared
for one unpleasant experience after another. And that teaches
valuable lessons about the way the world really works, how adults
can't see what's right in front of them, how they never appreciate the
valuable insights of children, how children have to find their own
strength and develop their own gifts.

Okay, I'm reading way too much into the Series. But trust me
that they're fun. The audiobooks are just the right length for a
longish drive or flight. And Lemony Snicket (actually author Daniel
Handler) takes just the right tone in telling his stories. His
pedantic monotone is a nice match for the material.